Disposable absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, generally have been manufactured by a process where articles, discrete articles, or components of different materials, such as leg elastics, waist elastics, ears, tapes, fasteners, or other components have been applied to a substrate (e.g., a chassis of a diaper or a web of chassis material) supported on a continuously moving carrier. Often, the speed at which the articles are fed into the process on a carrier is not the same as the speed of the continuously moving carrier conveying the substrate. Thus, the speed of the articles must be changed, using a transfer apparatus, to match the speed of the continuously moving carrier to properly apply the articles to the substrate without adversely affecting the process or the finished product.
Similarly, labels or stickers are typically placed onto a moving substrate when the speed at which the labels or stickers are fed into the process is not the same as the speed of the moving substrate to be labeled or stickered. Thus, the speed of the labels or stickers must be changed, using a transfer apparatus, to match the speed of the moving substrate to properly apply the labels or stickers to the substrate without adversely affecting the process or the finished product.
Transfer apparatuses for the articles may generally comprise a motor and a carrier member operably engaged with the motor. Previously carrier members were typically formed of a housing and one or more support members, all formed of extruded aluminum as a single piece. The housing comprises an outer surface configured to receive one or more of the articles to be transferred. The housing is rotated by the motor such that the outer surface receives the article from a first moving carrier in a receiving zone and deposits the article onto a substrate being conveyed by a second moving carrier in an application zone. Considering that the speed of the first and second moving carriers is typically different, the carrier member is typically rotated at a variable rate of speed to account for the different speeds of the first and second moving carriers. Typically, the motors of the transfer apparatuses are operably linked to a motor control system, which may comprise an amplifier and/or a controller, to causes the motor to vary the speed of rotation of the housing.
Since previous carrier members, including the one or more support members, were formed of a single extruded aluminum piece, the overall geometries of the carrier members were somewhat limited because of the strength and the required structural configuration of the aluminum support members. What is needed are carrier members having support members formed at least partially of materials other than extruded aluminum that provide a greater degree of flexibility in the design of the overall geometries of the carrier members, a lighter weight, and a higher strength.